High trade between countries with colonial ties may be explained by government policies that establish preferential access or as a consequence of networks formed through social interactions. Using bilateral trade data from 1948 to 2003, we ex-amine the effect of independence on post-colonial trade. The severing of formal colonial relations can lead to an immediate reduction in trade as preferential access is eliminated as well as a gradual reduction corresponding to the deterioration of trading networks. Our results reveal that independence reduces colonial trade with its colonizer (metropole), the reduction cumulates over a 30-year period, and the disruption is particularly severe for hostile separations. We also find that overall colonial...